A bathing unit, such as a spa, typically includes various components such as a water holding receptacle, pumps to circulate water in a piping system, a heating module to heat the water, a filter system, an air blower, an ozone generator, a lighting system. Such a bathing unit also includes a control system for activating and managing the various parameters of the bathing unit components. Other types of bathing units having similar components include, for instance, whirlpools, hot tubs, bathtubs, therapeutic baths, and swimming pools.
Typically, the control system of a bathing unit includes a controller to which are connected the various bathing unit components. The controller is adapted to control the power supplied to each one of the connected components. The controller receives input signals from various input devices, such as for example a plurality of sensors that monitor the various components of the bathing unit and from a control panel allowing a user to control various operational settings of these components. In response to the input signals, the controller activates, or deactivates, the various bathing unit components by supplying power, or ceasing to supply power, to the components.
Usually, different components in a given bathing unit have different operating power requirements. For instance, some of the bathing unit components may require to be powered by way of a 120 volts (V) AC voltage source, while other bathing unit components may require to be powered via a 240 volts (V) AC voltage source. Similarly, different bathing unit components may be designed to operate with different maximum current draws. The current draw to operate the various bathing unit components may range, for example, from 0.1 amps (A) for an ozone generator to 20 amps (A) for a large pump. Moreover, the current draw to operate two bathing unit components of a same type, such as two pumps or two heating modules, may also be different for the two components. For instance, one pump may require a current draw of 12 amps (A) to operate, while another pump may require a current draw of 20 amps (A) to operate.
FIG. 1a shows a sample controller 100 suitable for use in a bathing system. As depicted, the controller 100 includes a controller body coupled to a heater 122, the controller body having an access panel 112 connected thereto. FIG. 1b shows the same controller 100 as FIG. 1a with the access panel 112 opened. The controller body defines an enclosure in which a control circuit 108 is located. The controller 100 also includes a set of connectors 102 positioned along the periphery of the controller body and adapted for receiving complementary connectors associated to respective bathing unit components. As depicted, the set of connectors 102 are in communication with the control circuit 108 through electric connection wires 110. In use, the control circuit 108 is adapted for selectively providing electrical power to respective bathing unit components connected through the set of connectors 102. A plurality of power connection elements 106 and fuses 104 are also located with the enclosure defined by the controller body. The power connection elements 106 are for coupling the controller to an external electrical power source (not shown in the figure).
In order to accommodate bathing unit components having different power requirements, each connector in the set of connectors 102 is adapted to supply power to that particular component in accordance with its power requirements. To achieve this, each connector usually includes a set of electrical contact elements, at which a certain voltage or current output will be available. For example, if a bathing unit includes one component having operating power requirements of 120 volts (V) and 12 amps (A) and another component having operating power requirements of 240 volts (V) and 20 amps (A), the controller will thus be configured to include one connector having contact elements at which an output of 120 volts (V) and 12 amps (A) will be available and another connector having contact elements at which an output of 240 volts (V) and 20 amps (A) will be available.
A first deficiency associated to controllers of the type shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b is that a bathing unit installer or service technician runs the risk of connecting a given bathing unit component to a wrong connector, i.e. to a connector not intended to be connected to that given component. For instance, in the above example, the component with operating power requirements of 120 volts (V) and 12 amps (A) runs the risk of being connected to the controller connector at which an output of 240 volts (V) and 20 amps (A) will be available.
Another deficiency associated to controllers of the type shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b is that the control circuit 108 is often damaged during servicing by a technician. For example, the electric connection wires 110 between the set of connectors 102 and the control circuit 108 are often inadvertently disconnected during handling. Similarly, electrical components on the control circuit 108 are sometimes damaged when fuses 104 are replaced or electrical connections established. In addition, since the controller 100 is usually positioned in proximity to water, when the access panel 112 is open, water sometimes comes into contact with the electronic components contained in the controller body and damages those components. Such incidences usually translate into a greater number of service calls to the bathing unit vendor (or bathing unit controller vendor) which therefor increases the costs of providing bathing unit controllers. Furthermore, even though the failure of the bathing unit controller originated from the technician's mishandling of the equipment, the result is a perception of lack of reliability of the bathing unit controller.
Against the background described above, it appears that there is a need in the industry to provide a controller suitable for a bathing unit that alleviates at least in part the problems associated with existing controllers.